Taylor dominant in York girls basketball win

KITTERY, Maine — Using simple math, York High School center Niki Taylor wouldn't have seemed to be in danger of reaching the 1,000-point mark in Tuesday's game against Traip Academy.

Mike Zhe

KITTERY, Maine — Using simple math, York High School center Niki Taylor wouldn't have seemed to be in danger of reaching the 1,000-point mark in Tuesday's game against Traip Academy.

But early on, you had to wonder.

Taylor scored 14 of her game-high 20 points in the first quarter as Class B York pulled away from the Class C Rangers early and stayed unbeaten with a 65-26 win. Dominating on the boards and forcing turnovers with their full-court pressure, the Wildcats (15-0) led 26-3 after the first quarter.

A junior, Taylor entered the game with 943 career points and now needs 37 to reach the magic mark after making 10-of-12 shots from the floor. But even with two full quarters of down time Tuesday, she said she didn't give it much thought.

"No. My goal personally, and as a team, is to make it to the Western Maine (championship) game again and the state game," she said. "Keep playing one more game until you can't."

No, the only big milestone celebrated Tuesday was for Traip coach Paul Marquis, who was honored before the game for his 100th career win, which came on Dec. 12. Marquis, who is in his 10th year, was unaware he would be recognized, and presented a plaque by athletic director Mike Roberge as fans and players from his own team and York applauded.

"Any time anyone has the longevity to reach a hundred wins and stay in the same program, it's great," said Roberge. "We're lucky to have him."

Of course, Marquis knew this wasn't the ideal opponent for adding to that total.

Barely five minutes in, the Wildcats held a 16-1 lead. Many of those points came after offensive rebounds or forced turnovers in the backcourt.

"We've been talking about getting good starts offensively," said York coach Rick Clark, who was coming off his 400th career win. "We play defense pretty well all the time."

No argument from the other side. The Rangers didn't make a basket until guard Selena Lorrey put back a teammate's miss with 1:21 left in the period to make it 16-3.

"As talented as they all are — and they've got the total package, the strong inside play, the shooters, the ball handlers — what makes them so impressive is the way they play defense," said Marquis.

The Rangers flashed moments of good play the rest of the way, getting outscored just 10-8 in the second quarter and cutting down on their turnovers and allowed second-chance baskets. Part of that was picking up their own pace of play, and part was York pulling back on its press.

Lorrey had to work hard for her team-high nine points, and she also blocked four shots. Katherine Volpe scored all six of her points in the second half for Traip.

At 7-7, the Rangers sit in eighth place in the Western Maine Class C Heal Points, with the top nine making the playoffs. Their two remaining games — at Class B Freeport (4-10) and home against North Yarmouth Academy (4-9) — would seem much more winnable than Tuesday's.

Taylor was the only York player in double figures. Stephanie Gallagher, who found her shooting touch after some early misses, and Lindsey Contella each chipped in seven points, and point guard Emma Clark had six.

With three games left in the regular season, York has plenty to play for. Among its remaining opponents, only Falmouth (8-6) began last night with a winning record. So a perfect season is on the table, as well as Taylor's 1,000th point.

"It's definitely flown by," said Taylor. "Basketball is one of the longest seasons, but it seems short to me. I can't believe it's almost time for the playoffs."

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